Davies & Son

This will be a dull post, since there are no photos, but I wanted to write something complimentary about Davies & Son. I have been using them for the last couple of years, prompted to move after my cutter left for them from Dege. I very much liked the Dege cut and style but for a variety of reasons had been thinking about a change and the cutter's departure was as good a prompt as any. I now have four suits from Davies, which is enough of a sample size to say that I have been very happy with them. The cut is similar to Dege's, though not a precise duplicate. That should be no surprise as Alan Bennett, the head of the firm, had also trained under Dege's Michael Skinner (the elder Mr. Skinner can probably take credit for the training of many a Saville Row cutter). The most noticeable difference is that the Davies shoulder is not cut quite as tight as Dege's, having slightly more extension. I am sure there are others, but can't claim to be able to notice everything. Pricing is on the high side for SR, and, more than most SR tailors, their prices vary depending on the cloth ordered. Davies is supposed to be fairly flexible about their cut, at least within the general parameters of a traditional SR-style suit, but I can't speak to all their work. I can say that if you are looking for a well-executed "military-influenced" SR cut, I can recommend them.

I'd like to be educated: is everything non-A&S on Savile Row of the "military" variety, or is there a third type?

There is a great post by manton on this somewhere on SF (search for silhouette). The short answer is "no". There is Huntsman's equestrian style, which is a bit longer and leaner. There is also the classic SR style, which is typified by Poole. The best way to describe it is moderated - it has a firm chest that is not lean but not really swelled either, it is waisted, but not really skirted, shoulders are natural, not extended much . The old KFS was a good example and Gieves was as well, but not exactly so.

There is a great post by manton on this somewhere on SF (search for silhouette). The short answer is "no". There is Huntsman's equestrian style, which is a bit longer and leaner. There is also the classic SR style, which is typified by Poole. The best way to describe it is moderated - it has a firm chest that is not lean but not really swelled either, it is waisted, but not really skirted, shoulders are natural, not extended much . The old KFS was a good example and Gieves was as well, but not exactly so.

Thanks--that was informative. A&S really is quite the oddball, I guess.

There is a great post by manton on this somewhere on SF (search for silhouette). The short answer is "no". There is Huntsman's equestrian style, which is a bit longer and leaner. There is also the classic SR style, which is typified by Poole. The best way to describe it is moderated - it has a firm chest that is not lean but not really swelled either, it is waisted, but not really skirted, shoulders are natural, not extended much . The old KFS was a good example and Gieves was as well, but not exactly so.

Blades and Nutter are cuts I consider very SR, and not really in that tradition.

You see some aspects of them resurface, say, in oh, David Reeves.

And then there are the exotic cuts of Jheeta, which are maharaja-y.

Here's a 1983 Nutter for Anthony Powell...horizontal rather than RSS diagonal...